


snow.

by satsuha



Category: MapleStory
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 12:25:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14954667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satsuha/pseuds/satsuha
Summary: Mercedes' weakness to the cold and stubborn tenacity make a bad combination, especially in the snowy mountains of El Nath.





	snow.

“Mercedes. Watch your step.”  
  
Luminous’ warning was followed by a light crash below him. Luckily it was snowing heavily enough to break her fall.   
  
“You could’ve said that a little earlier.” Mercedes huffed, brushing the snow off her clothes. She was dressed from head to toe in winter attire, and she looked plump enough that Luminous wondered how she could move properly, let alone climb mountains.   
  
“...I apologize. But climbing these mountains will be much easier without such thick clothes.” He held out a hand, which Mercedes reached for gratefully.   
  
“I don’t know how many times I need to tell you, Luminous. I can’t stand the weather here. These clothes are barely keeping me warm.” She shivered. Luminous, on the other hand, was wearing a light cloak just to prevent the cold winds from seeping in.   
  
Luminous paused. “Then maybe we can take a break. But the more breaks we take, the longer it will take to reach the Yetis.”   
  
“Yes, yes. It’s not like we’re in a hurry anyway; though I would like to leave El Nath as soon as possible.”   
  
She collapsed onto her knees onto the snow, letting out a deep sigh, turning the air around her breath into a puff of white for a second. Re-adjusting her scarf, she watched as Luminous sat down in front of her and took off the bag from his shoulder.   
  
Luminous rummaged the inside until he found what he was looking for. Clinking two pieces of white stone together, he gathered some firewood and started a small fire.   
  
“I don’t understand why you carry those things around. I don’t suppose you go hunting Axe Stumps every other day.”   
  
“They’re useful. Especially for times like this.”   
  
Mercedes pouted as she warmed her gloved hands on the fire. She didn’t understand why he bothered to carry such low-levelled items, but she wasn’t about to complain about the fire right now.   
  
“Oh, and I forgot about this.” Luminous pulled out two bowls from his bag. Just how prepared was he?   
  
He scooted over so that he was next to her.  Handing one of the bowls to Mercedes, he began to take a sip from the edge of his own when he noticed that she was just staring at him.   
  
“What is this.”   
  
“Mm? It’s Red Bean Porridge. A local delicacy in El Nath. It’s one of the only foods that really help you in this cold.”   
  
Mercedes looked no less reluctant to try it as she sniffed the bowl. “...Modern human cuisine.”   
  
As Luminous was about to open his mouth again, to tell her about the effects it had, maybe a bit about the history... he noticed that she was beginning to try it out.   
  
She scrunched up her nose as she lowered the bowl from her face. “It’s too bitter,” she sighed. “But you’re right about it warming you up. I feel warmer already.”   
  
“That’s good. When travelling it’s important to keep up with the local culture. You’d be missing out without knowing about it.”   
  
Mercedes, feeling a lecture coming up, leaned to her side and landed on Luminous’ lap. He stopped mid-sentence about the territorial hostilities between the humans and hoblins, sighed, and returned to tending the fire. She watched the sparks flicker as she felt the warmth on her face; the only bare part of her body at the moment. Luminous’ body felt so warm despite the cold weather, and the Red Bean Porridge warmed her from the inside. She closed her eyes for a moment and thought about Elluel, home...   
  
\-   
  
When she reopened her eyes, the fire was gone and she was being moved by something. Blinking a few times, she realised that Luminous was carrying her on his back. Startled, she jerked backwards a bit, nearly toppling both of them over.   
  
“I... I’m awake now. How long was I out?”   
  
“Not long. I just thought we should get moving, but I didn’t want to wake you.” He carefully set her down on the ground, holding her arm as to not let her slip.   
  
“But what do you mean, we should get moving? You act like we’re in a hurry, but all I wanted to do was return to El Nath to see what has changed. The Yetis aren’t going anywhere.”   
  
“...You’ll see.”   
  
Mercedes felt her temper rise. Was there something he knew about Yeti migration patterns or something that he was refusing to tell her about? If so, then why? But she kept her mouth shut. Nothing good would come out of arguing in such harsh weather conditions.   
  
They continued to trudge through the snow in silence. The mountains only got colder as they climbed, much to Mercedes’ dismay. She could see the sky darkening above them, though it was cloudy all day anyway. The only thing worse than being cold was being cold in the dark - it was much too different from the warm elven village she was used to. Ahead of her, Luminous muttered a spell that made the area around them light up so they could see.   
  
At long last, she could see the summit approaching and sighed out a long breath of relief. Before she realised, Luminous had paused in front of her again and her face landed in the back of his cloak.   
  
“What is it this time...”   
  
“The entrance to the Dead Mine. It’s locked.”   
  
“What?” Mercedes exclaimed incredulously. Locked? She reached for her weapons on her back. She wasn’t about to let some locked door render her entire journey useless.   
  
“Mercedes, wait. It’s locked for a reason. We can’t just crash in there without permission.”   
  
“Permission? I’m the queen of the elves! What permission do I need to enter a mountain?”   
  
“It’s just... I think it’ll be open in the morning. It looks like the guards that are usually here went home for the night.”   
  
“So you’re saying... we’ll have to camp here?”   
  
Luminous nodded slowly. Mercedes let out a sound that was a mix between a sigh and a groan. She sat down on a nearby rock, but she noticed that Luminous was still standing up and looking around.   
  
“Before we set up camp, why don’t we head over there for a second?” He pointed over at another part of the summit.   
  
“...Why?”   
  
“Don’t worry. You’ll enjoy this.”   
  
Confused once again, Mercedes stood up and followed Luminous around to the other side of the mountain, when the light around them disappeared abruptly. Startled by the sudden darkness, Mercedes gasped and grabbed Luminous’ arm.   
  
“What was that for?”   
  
“Look up.”   
  
Mercedes reluctantly complied, but her eyes widened as the sky opened up to a wide array of lights of all kinds of colours. The lights shimmered in the sky like ripples on water, and she found herself enamoured by the sight.   
  
“I wanted to show you while they still appeared. They look the most beautiful in the coldest winters, you know.”   
  
She slowly shifted her gaze from the sky to Luminous. “So that’s why you were being so cryptic all day.”   
  
“It loses its appeal when you expect to see it. Though several times I was worried you were going to give up in frustration.”   
  
Mercedes huffed slightly. “As if. Even if snowy climates are absolutely unbearable, it was still at my own request that we came.”   
  
“I hope the lights changed your opinion about the snow. Maybe it’s not so bad after all.”   
  
“...You could be right.” Lowering her grip on Luminous’ arm and slipping her fingers in his, she smiled softly. “Maybe it isn’t so bad.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've posted in a really long time so I'm really nervous about posting it but.. I need to spread my lumimerc influence across all forms of fan media so here we are,
> 
> This fic was inspired by the fact that Mercedes seems to be sensitive to cold weather which is such a cute detail? You can see in a few official illustrations where she's the only one with a scarf or in the Heroes winter illustration where she's crouched over a Fire Boar's back and a blanket around her. I think it really suits her considering the fact that Elluel seems to be in constant springtime? In contrast, I headcanon that Luminous is pretty resistant to the cold so.. 
> 
> Anyway I'll stop rambling I hope you enjoyed this fic!!


End file.
